#rivervale_lodge

"Well, of course I would. He annoys me, I don't want him dead."

Zane smiles and trots and vanishes to do... satyr buddy stuff

"Sorry to piggy back in on the beat up Adam session." He whispers, moving over to rejoin Dagmar. "He shouldn't have said that to Dirk, though."

"He shouldn't have."

"Dirk's got his nature, y'know?"

"Yeah. Still, Dirk shouldn't have goaded him. Chief said you're all Storm-crashers, after all. I was a little shit when I was new too. And let's not even look at Dirk. I gues we should see if he even manages to turn into a Real Boy first, before we judge him as one."

A scowl, not really liking it.

"I don't know why I'm so angry about this."

"Like, I should be all 'yay, new fae' and stuff."

"Because he's being a little shit. Handed a brave new world, and asking why he didn't get it gift wrapped." A shrug.

"Well, now it is. Silver platter."

"When you got your family? You thought that it would all disappear." He says, matter of factly. "You didn't complain that your dad wasn't rich, or that Tove didn't come with, I don't know, a brand new car." A small frown. "I was a bit of a shit to Ann Marie when she first started dating my dad. So maybe I can see it. It's not the same. But... I figure, if I hold judgement until he actually JOINS the ranks... then if he's still a shit, then no one will stick up for him any more, because eveyone will see him for what it is."

"Remember - " He jerks a thumb at himself. "Pessimist. Either I'm gonna be right, or maybe pleasantly surprised."

A sigh and a nod.

"Sometimes I still worry something will happen... like.... everything is too good, right?"

"Think it's too late to cadge a snack out of Tove?" He comments, a sly glance down the trail.

"Mmm... I know where she keeps the tupperware."

"You're right." He nods. "Something is going to happen. It's called life. Difference is, you're looking at it, so you'll see it coming and can beat it off with that flyswatter. Like I said. Pessimist, it's the only way to go. Now let's get a snack. All this pep talk makes me want to croak and not in a fun way."

Snort-grin. "Okay. I think there might be lutefisk, too..."

His eyes light up. "Now that I need to try." And he'll accompany her back for snacks! Sluagh - social distancing through snacks since the dark ages.

As it turns out, there is some Lutefisk that isnt' even recent!

"Yeah, you and Tove and the weird fish jello."

"And I thought the fresh stuff was good... see look, the bones kinda melted and congealed..." And he will even describe the texture of each bite until stopped!

Dagmar looks EXTRA stoic.

Troll willpower is a wonderful thing

"Tove was doing lutefisk and peanut butter sandwiches for a week there..."

"Did you know that the lumps in Tapioca pudding are traditionally fish eyes? I can get her the recipe..."

"Uh. Noted."

(DING)

As he bald-faced lies to her. But he's getting pretty good at it...

Not pooka levels, but he could probably make someone at the school cafeteria throw up if he tried.

Snort. "Good one."

And a good... gross... time had by all.
(THE END....

???)

(The end)